Watch for signs of illness!

Around Christmas time, the couple noticed that she wasn't eating or drinking, and, after 3 weeks, her urine had become bright yellow in colour. Rather than take her to a vet, they returned her to us, freeing themselves of the burden of her illness. Her eyes and nose were covered in discharge from upper respiratory infection. Her once beautiful white face and ears were yellow from lipidosis of the liver, she was extremely thin and severely dehydrated. We rushed our sweet-natured, gentle Sabrina to a Vancouver vet where antibiotics were administered and tubes were inserted in an attempt to feed her and restore her health. We visited her daily and prayed for her recovery, but on the third day, Sabrina died.

Before her adoption, Sabrina was a calm, friendly girl who followed visitors at the shelter and purred immediately when they'd stroke her responsive, arching back. She was, indeed, a "people cat" who deserved much better care than she'd received from her adoptive family. We don't know if Sabrina's illness was caused by depression and loss of appetite, the neglected upper respiratory illness or some other underlying disease. One thing is for sure. Ignoring symptoms of illness in a cat can have deadly results. People who are not prepared to provide good veterinary care to their cats, shouldn't have them.


Veterinary "Miracles"

Because of the large number of animals at our shelter, we experience a wide variety of medical problems. Occasionally, a cat will almost "miraculously" recover from an illness that was considered chronic or terminal.

Tobin, a large black and white male, lived at a recycling facility with a harem of females. Soon after moving into our shelter, he became very lethargic so we had our veterinarian perform a blood panel. The result was a diagnosis of diabetes. We gave Tobin insulin injections for a year, then had another blood panel done and were surprised to learn that his insulin levels were normal. We withheld insulin for a few weeks, then repeated the panel. There was no longer any evidence of diabetes and, two years later, he continues to show no symptoms. On hearing about Tobin, Laurie Ulrich Fuller shared these insights:

"It's quite common for cats to go into what's known as a "honeymoon", when they need no insulin. Further, a lot of things can make a cat test positive for diabetes (sugar level higher than 150) but the cat really isn't diabetic -- an infection, a huge rush of adrenalin (like what many cats experience at the vet), or the use of steroids for a prolonged period. In the latter case, the cat may have actually been "made into" a diabetic by the steroids, and may always need insulin -- OR, if the steroids are stopped, the cat could return to near normal sugar levels. If it's an infection or stress, the levels go back to normal when the cause is eliminated.
I don't know if any of these apply to Tobin -- it could simply be that his system went into a transient state of either not producing enough insulin or not metabolizing sugar efficiently. He could have had a brief bout of some sort of problem with his pancreas, for example."

Mousie, a black and white feral female, suffered a thrombo embolism and suddenly became paralyzed in her rear legs. Fortunately, we were in the room when she began thrashing about in panic and rushed her to East Vancouver vet, Dr. H. Bhullar. Rather than euthanise Mousie as many vets would do, Dr. Bhullar wanted to try to dissolve the blockage. He administered medication and Mousie recovered fully. For about 6 months, we mixed baby aspirin into her food and today, five years later, Mousie continues to thrive.

Franko, a large brown tabby and white male, stopped eating and became lethargic. A blood panel showed severe lipidosis, a liver problem caused by his failure to eat. Our current vet, Dr. Ranjit Malhans, put Franko on IV and we visited him daily to provide love and to coax him to eat. His condition worsened and he became thin, frail and almost comatose, but we weren’t willing to give up on him. Dr. Malhans tube fed Franko twice daily and continued to administer medication for his liver. Franko began to improve and was able to spend brief periods out of his cage for exercise. Our vet noticed that the cat held his neck in a position characteristic of potassium deficiency and began supplements. Franko’s recovery escalated and, after five weeks of hospitalization, he was able to return to our sanctuary. He became a rather hefty boy and is one of our most affectionate cats. From his experience, we learned to never give up too quickly, in spite of the expense.

Because of the lack of research funding, cats succumb to illnesses that currently aren't curable. Some illnesses, however, will respond to a creative or persistent approach. If your cat becomes ill, and its prognosis seems poor, you want it in the care of a vet who doesn't give up easily and who is willing to try new or unconventional treatments. If your vet is unwilling, seek a second opinion. If your vet is very costly, shop around for one who is more affordable. These little lives are worth it!

Our Vet: